Kelowna West (name from 2017 to 2024) or Westside-Kelowna (name from 2009 to 2017) is a former provincial electoral district in British Columbia, Canada. It combined a portion of the city of Kelowna on the east shore of Lake Okanagan with communities on the west shore.
History The district was established as Westside-Kelowna by the Electoral Districts Act, 2008 and first contested in the 2009 general election. The riding was created out of parts of Okanagan-Westside, Kelowna-Lake Country, and Kelowna-Mission. It was renamed Kelowna West in the 2015 electoral redistribution with only minor boundary changes.
Just weeks after the 2013 British Columbia election, newly re-elected MLA Ben Stewart resigned to allow Premier Christy Clark, who had lost her own seat, to run in a by-election."Ben Stewart steps aside in Kelowna for B.C. Premier Christy Clark". Vancouver Sun, June 5, 2013.
Clark resigned the seat and leadership of the BC Liberals effective August 4, 2017, after losing a confidence vote. A by-election for the seat was held on February 14, 2018.
Under the 2021 redistribution that took effect with the 2024 general election, the riding was divided, with portions on the west side of Okanagan Lake being redistributed to the new district of West Kelowna-Peachland and portions east of Okanagan Lake in the city of Kelowna transferring to the new district of Kelowna Centre.
Geography The riding contains the city of West Kelowna, all of the Regional District of Central Okanagan west of Lake Okanagan and north of Peachland, and the central part of the city of Kelowna.
Members of the Legislative Assembly
Assembly Years Member PartyWestside-Kelowna39th2009–2013Ben StewartLiberal40th20132013–2017Christy ClarkKelowna West41st2017Christy ClarkLiberal2018 – August 2019Ben StewartAugust–October 2019IndependentOctober 2019 – 2020Liberal42ndNovember 2020–20232023-October 2024BC United
Electoral history
Kelowna West
Westside-Kelowna
See also List of British Columbia provincial electoral districts Canadian provincial electoral districts
References